LIVERPOOL: The UK’s Labour government intends to implement a permanent ban on fracking due to its significant environmental impact.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband announced the plan at the Labour party conference in Liverpool on Wednesday.
He stated that fracking would undermine Britain’s climate commitments and harm the natural environment.
Miliband’s declaration followed a pledge by the hard-right Reform UK party to revive fracking if it gained power.
Fracking involves extracting oil and gas from shale rock deep underground using hydraulic fracturing.
Environmental groups argue the process contaminates water supplies and damages wildlife.
They also claim fracking causes earthquakes and contributes to global climate change.
Many countries including France and Germany have already banned the practice.
The United States however has experienced a fracking boom in recent years.
The Conservatives imposed a moratorium on fracking in England back in 2019.
This followed an Oil and Gas Authority report that found earthquake risks couldn’t be accurately predicted.
Former prime minister Liz Truss briefly lifted the ban in 2022 during her short tenure.
Her decision sparked strong opposition from environmentalists and some Conservative MPs.
Truss’s successor Rishi Sunak quickly reinstated the moratorium after taking office.
Greenpeace UK welcomed Miliband’s announcement calling fracking polluting and unpopular.
The environmental organization noted fracking wouldn’t help lower energy bills for consumers. – AFP